Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · IELTS Momentum Workout · 2026-09-27

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The diagram below shows how a mechanical arm works, and how the joints that make up the arm function in the same way as those in a human arm. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Student answer (Band 5.0)

The diagram illustrate how a mechanical arm works in these modern days.

It shows that the mechanical arm is operated or controlled by a computer. There are three motors that are attached to the arm and gets signal from a computer to work preciously. One motor is attached to the shoulder of the mechanical arm, that makes the arm to raise and lower it which is next to the pivot which allows the arm to rotate in all direction. The second motor is attached to the elbow of the arm giving flexibility in movement. Then comes the wrist that allow gripper to rotate smoothly. The third motor is attached to the gripper that controls the force of gripping things. Just like spray paint, drill holes or weld metal, they all need a controller and that alternative controller is human. Same goes for the mechanical arm, it needed a controller to move, to work, to grab and these all things can only be managed by a computer.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The student attempts to describe the mechanical arm diagram, meeting the word count requirement with 166 words. However, the response falls short in several areas of Task Achievement. Firstly, the introduction contains a grammatical error and an overly informal temporal reference ('in these modern days'). More importantly, the explanation of how the arm and human anatomy compare is missing, and the concluding paragraph goes off on a confusing tangent regarding human controllers versus computer control, misinterpreting the alternative end-effectors section. While the main joints (shoulder, elbow, wrist, gripper, pivot, and base) are mentioned alongside the computer and motors, the overall summary lacks clear structural organisation and omits key comparative features from the prompt. Consequently, this performance aligns with a Band 5.0.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response is structured into two overly dense paragraphs, lacking proper paragraphing strategies that typically separate an introduction, an overview, and detailed body paragraphs. Logical progression is somewhat hindered by repetitive phrasing and a confusing conclusion that attempts to link end-effectors to human controllers. Cohesive devices are basic and sometimes misused, such as 'Then comes the wrist' and 'Same goes for the mechanical arm'. While referencing is generally understandable, the lack of a clear introduction and overview structure means the information is not arranged in a fully coherent or easily navigable manner. This places the response firmly within the Band 5.0 descriptor range for Coherence and Cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is relatively basic and repetitive, with frequent reliance on everyday terms like 'works', 'attached', 'things', and 'controller'. There are also awkward word choices and collocation errors, such as 'works preciously' (intended to mean 'precisely') and 'spray paint, drill holes or weld metal, they all need a controller'. While the student successfully extracts some technical terms directly from the diagram labels (e.g., 'shoulder', 'elbow', 'wrist', 'gripper', 'pivot'), the range of vocabulary remains limited and barely adequate for an Academic Task 1 response. Frequent noticeable errors cause some difficulty for the reader, matching the requirements of Band 5.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response exhibits a very limited range of grammatical structures, relying primarily on simple sentences and basic relative or participle clauses. There are several noticeable grammatical errors and awkward formulations throughout the text, including subject-verb agreement issues ('The diagram illustrate', 'motors... gets signal'), missing articles, and run-on sentences in the conclusion ('Same goes for the mechanical arm, it needed a controller to move, to work, to grab and these all things can only be managed by a computer'). These frequent errors and the lack of complex sentence variety cause noticeable strain and difficulty for the reader, which corresponds to a Band 5.0 level.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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